Bavaria, Origo join forces to attract productions

Studios to offer services across Europe

Germany’s Bavaria Film group and Hungary’s Origo Film Studios are joining forces in an effort to gain the edge in an increasingly competitive environment and attract major international productions.

Describing the Budapest-based Origo facility as “an interesting and highly motivated partner,” Bavaria Film managing director Achim Rohnke said the deal “enables us to mutually co-offer and co-operate on studio services and mobile production services for major international productions all over Europe.”

Built three years ago on the outskirts of Budapest, the Origo studios hosted Bruce Willis starrer “A Good Day to Die Hard” and Angelina Jolie’s “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

Origo CEO Ilona Kecskes added, “We believe that both companies will be able to meet and manage international competitive demands jointly and therefore even more effectively. In Germany and in Hungary there are film funds and sponsorships with different focuses that can be optimally combined for our customers by our new partnership and co-operation.”

The partnership follows Bavaria’s $40 million investment in renovations and technical upgrades at the studio, including modernizing the 12 soundstages over the last two years.

A fully integrated complex, Bavaria Studios offer sound stages, post-production facilities, equipment and set design, costume and prop departments. It offers one of the most extensive services for film and TV productions in Europe.

Bavaria operates service units in Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig, Vienna and Prague, and also has offices in Los Angeles and Moscow.

Origo has a total production area of 18,000 square meters on nine sound stages as well as production services, equipment rental, post production and decoration set-ups.

In related news, Global Screen, the international sales joint venture between Bavaria and Telepool, announced a slew of deals at Berlin’s EFM.

Erik Poppe’s “A Thousand Times Goodnight,” starring Juliette Binoche, about a wife trying to balance her role as a mother and one of the world’s top war photographers, sold to Golem for Spain, Art Film for Brazil, Lanterna de Pedra Filmes for Portugal, Italia Film for the Middle East and Swallow Wings for Taiwan as well as to Wild Bunch Benelux. Offers for the film from the U.S. and France are on the table.

In other deals, Michael Caine starrer “Mr. Morgan’s Last Love” sold to A Contracorriente for Spain, historical drama “Ludwig II” to Japan’s Broadmedia Studios and documentary “Camp 14,” about a young man’s escape from a North Korean prison camp, to Japan (Maxam), Australia (SBS) and Latin America (HBO).